AGENCY TAKES STEPS TO REQUIRE ADVANCED AIR BAGS TO CUT DANGER.

Byline: Robyn Meredith The New York Times

The Department of Transportation said Friday that it would seek to require automakers to install new, more advanced air bags within two years as part of a package of steps to reduce the danger the safety devices pose to children and small adults.

The actions Friday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a Transportation Department agency, reflect an acceptance by government safety officials that air bags, which were widely viewed in the 1980s as a panacea to automobile safety problems, carry some dangers of their own.

As expected, the safety agency said Friday that it would seek to require slower-inflating air bags and to allow mechanics and automobile dealers to deactivate the devices if customers demanded it. It will also extend, probably until late in the year 2000, its policy permitting automakers to install switches that allow drivers to deactivate the devices temporarily in vehicles without back seats. And it will require flashier warning labels.

But the agency went beyond these short- and intermediate-term steps to announce plans to require automakers and their suppliers to develop ``smart'' air bags and install them in new cars and trucks sold in 1998. The advanced safety devices would rely on better technology to automatically tailor their deployment to individual crash circumstances and to the size of the occupants.

``This is the next quantum leap in frontal crash protection,'' said Ricardo Martinez, administrator of the safety agency.

Air bags inflate explosively - at a speed of 200 miles an hour - in the event of a crash to provide a protective cushion for front-seat riders. Their force has killed 51 people since 1991, most of whom were not wearing seat belts and most of them children less than 10 years old. They have also saved about 1,600 lives. Federal officials were eager to emphasize that overall, cars and trucks with air bags are safer in crashes.

The number of air bags has been rising steeply in recent years, partly because they have become more popular. Federal law requires all cars in the 1998 model year to come equipped with two front-seat air bags. The requirement will be extended the following year to mini-vans, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks.

``There is much discussion about air bags and the public understandably is much concerned and confused about air bags,'' Martinez said. ``Now here is the bottom line: everyone agrees that air bags enhance safety but must be improved - improving their performance to minimize the risk to children and some adults.''

Automakers greeted the new standards with cautious optimism. But they said they had some concerns about whether they could meet the ambitious timetables for smart air bags laid out by the agency.

Barry Felrice, director of regulatory affairs for the American Automobile Manufacturers Association, said, ``Overall, I think we are speaking the same language.'' While the government's goals for smart bags are a technological challenge, he said, the industry plans to do its best to develop them within two years.

Consumer groups said they were pleased by the safety agency's move, but wondered why it took so long. ``The actions are long overdue and we should begin a process for improving air bag design,'' said Joan B. Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, the consumer advocacy group.

But she said that allowing people to have the safety devices shut off sent the wrong message about safety. ``We are not in favor of disconnecting air bags,'' Claybrook said.